WTF? Racist Blackface Figurines Given Out At Mardi Gras Parade

Folks in the crowd couldn't believe the hate.

For a few folks who came to have fun at Mardi Gras, they got a rude awakening on Saturday. People were tossing racist figurines into the crowd like confetti during a parade. Yeah, Blackface dolls, including a female figure dressed as a servant and a male one with a hat, were given out like it was nothing.

The racism had many people tripping out, including the mother of a 4-year-old who was thrown one of the bubble wrap packages that contained the figures.

“I was just totally perplexed,” New Orleans resident Carmen Cousin, whose son was accosted with the package by someone on a float during the Krewe of Endymion parade, said to WWL-TV. “I didn’t know what to think!”

“I was searching my mind for like, an explanation,” said Gregory Hawkins, who received the package of figurines while standing in the crowd.”I thought maybe they were salt shakers or something like that. Or that this was some sort of historic thing for the Endymion crew specifically. But the more I thought about it, the more upset I became about it.”

Cousin, Hawkins and another woman, Rene Bond, who also got the racist package, all posted photos of the dolls on Facebook. Bond summed up just why these figures are so hurtful to folks.

“Those were designed to make African American people and slaves sub-human,” she said. “That was what they viewed us as. That’s what they thought we were and that’s all we were good for, was being servants. And ugly.”

Cousin challenged others to put themselves in her shoes.

“What would your message be to the people who did this and to those who think that this is okay? How would you feel if you, or your child had received something like that?” Cousin said.

This incident is beyond infuriating. But if racism has to rear its ugly head, then Black folks will stand up to it.

Let's sign a petition banning racist messaging on floats (we see you CHAOS) and throwing of black face figurines (we see you too ENDYMION). THIS is why I have very limited tolerance for Mardi Gras. Brings out the best… and sadly the WORST. #NOLA#racismhttps://t.co/MEAHbOxkeN

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